Kinetoscopic apparatus.



No. s2a,4|3. Patented luly 4,1899..

F. McmLLAN & A. c. noEBucK.

KINETUSCOPIC APPARATUS.

(Applicmnn med Fab. 25, 189e.) (No Model.)

TN: n'cnms PETERS cn, Fumo-mmc, wAsmNmoN, D. c.

UNITED STATES A PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK MCMILLAN AND ALVAH C. ROEBUOK, OF OI-IIOAGO, ILLINOIS.

KINETOSCOPIC APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,413, dated July 4:, 1899.

Application filed `l:"ebrnary 25, 1898. Serial No. 671,662. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Beit known that we,FEANK MCMILLAN and 'ALVAH C. ROEBUCK, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Kinetoscopic Apparatus; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

The present invention relates to that class of kinetoscopic apparatus in which a series of pictures upon a transparent hlm is einployed to produce the appearance of objects in motion.

A principal object of the present improve ment is to provide a simple and efficient arrangement and connection between the hlm* operating drum and the shutter by which the passage or projection of the light through the film is controlled, so that a positive intermittent rotary motion is imparted in a positive manner to the one While the other is held at rest in a like positive manner, and vice versa, so that the beams of light will be projected through the pictured film only when the same is in a stationary condition and suoli light-beams cut off from the lm While the same is moving to the next picture of the series.

Other auxiliary objects of the present improvement are to provide simple and convenient means for rewinding the film, so as to be ready for reuse, for coniining the iilm upon the holding-reel, for guiding the film in front of the light-opening of the apparatus, and for adjusting the intermittent gearing of the feederoller and shutter to take up wear and consequent lost motion in the parts, as well as other detail features of construction, whereby the usefulness and convenience of the apparatus are increased, as will hereinafter more fully appear and be more particu larly pointed out in the claims.

We attain such objects by the construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Fignre l is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying the present improvements; Fig. 2, a detail rear elevation of the same; Fig. 3, an enlarged detail longitudinal section at line x fr, Fig. 4:; Fig. 4, an enlarged detail horizontal section at line ce so', Fig. 3; Fig. 5, an enlarged detail sectional elevation of the holding-reel; Fig. 6, an enlarged detail side elevation of the eccentric adjustment for the shaft of the hlm-feeding roller; Fig. 7, a horizontal sectional elevation of the same.

Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, l represents the main casing of the present apparatus, having a rectangular box shape, the front thereof being closed by a removable plate carrying the objective-mount 2, while the rear thereof is closed by a plate formation having alightopening 3 therein central with the axis of the objective.

Within the casing l is arranged, horizontally, a revolving shutter, the horizontal axis of rotation of Which is at right angles to the -axis of the objective 2, said shutter consisting of a pair of concentricallyarranged segmental blades 4, that are secured at one end to a carrying-disk 5, that may be of the na-V A continuous rotary motion is imparted to the shutter by means of a counter-shaft 6, provided With a gear-wheel 7, meshing With and driving the counterpart gear-Wheel 5 on the journal-arbor of the shutter. The counter-shaft G is in turn in operative connection, by means of a pinion S and gear-wheel 9, with a driving-shaft 10, that is usually operated by hand.

l1 is the iilm-feeding roller, of any usual construction and provided with the usual peripheral spurs adapted to engage the usual series of spaced orifices in the margin of the pictured iilm to effect a positive feed of the same. In the present improvement the j ournal-shaft of the feeding-roller 1I is provided with an intermittent gear-wheel l2, the periphery of which is formed with alternating radial recesses 13 and marginal convex depressions 14, usually four in number of each. The said gear-wheel l2 has operative connection with the counter-shaft 6 by means of a pair of studs 15, arranged diametrically opposite each other on a disk on said shaft, usually the gear-wheel 7, as shown, such studs IOO being adapted to engage in turn in the radial recesses 13 of the gear-wheel 12 and impart an intermittent one-quarter revolution to the same and to the film-feeding roller 11. In the interval between such intermittent actuation of the film-feeding roller the same is positively held in a stationary condition by the engagement of one of the concentricall yarranged rim-sections 16 on the side of the gear-wh eel 7 in the adjacent convex marginal recess 14 of the gear-wheel 12.

In the present improvement the above-described mechanism will be assembled in such a manner that the shutter will close off the passage of light through the casing during the interval of time in which the actuating movement of the film-feeding roller is being effected, the movement of the shutter to permit the passage of the light occurring while the film and the film-feeding roller are at rest.

17is the film-holding reel,whch in the present improvement comprises a central shaft 18, adapted to loosely receive a spool 19, upon which the film is wound, a disk 20, xed near one end of said shaft, and a disk 2l at the other and free end of said shaft and removably attached thereto by its hub portion screwing upon the screw-threaded outer end of said shaft, asillustrated in Fig. 5. In the present construction the shaft 18 is carried upon one end of a radial arm 22, the other end of which has pivotal connection with a pivot-lug on the top of the casing 1, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that a radial adjustment of the reel can be effected as required, the parts being held to the required adjustment by means of a set-screw 23, screwing through the aforesaid pivotlug and bearing upon the pivot-arbor of said radial arm 22.

24 is aloose tension-roller journaled at the outer end of a spring-arm that extends outward from the central reel-shaft 18 and over which roller 24 the iilm passes and is directed into the guide-passage therefor in the main casing, as hereinafter set forth.

25 are vertically-extending ribs on the outer surface of the rear plate formation of the casing 1, such ribs having a parallel arrangement at each side of the light-opening 3 in said plate formation and acting as guides for the pictured film in its passage past the lightopening 3 to prevent any lateral movement or shifting of the film.

26 is the film conning and guiding plate of the present improvement, hinged in a vertical direction at one edge of the casing by means of a pintle-rod 27, fixedly attached to the pintle-eyes on the said plate 26 and adapted to turn in the pint-le-eyes 28 of the main casing. Said pintle is also adapted to have an endwise movement in a vertical direction in the pintle-eyes v28 of the casing, so as to effect a vertical adjustment of the lm-conadjustment is effected by means of a handnut 30, screwing upon the screw-threaded upper end of the pintle 27 and having bearing against the uppermost pintle-eyes 28 of the main casing, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

31 are vertically-extending ribs on the inner surface of the confining-plate 26, having a parallel arrangement at each side of the light-opening 2O therein. y These ribs are so arranged as to lie inside the ribs 25 on the main casing and form vertical guide-tracks for the margin ofthe film, which margin is heldin contact with said tracks by the springfingers 32, attached to the casing 1, as shown.

33 are spring-lingers projecting down from the lower ends of the confining-plate 2G and adapted to guide and hold the lilm to its engagement with the film-feeding roller 11.

The hinged arrangement of the confiningplate 2G, as above described, permits of a ready insertion of the film into place in the apparatus, as Well as ready access to the same when required, and such plate will be provided with a suitable fastening-such, for instance, as the turn-arm 34-to secure said plate in its closed position.

'In the present improvement the countershaft 6 is extended out at the far side of the main casing and is provided with a fl y-whecl 255 and a rewinding-reel 3b' for the convenient rewindin g of the film after the same has passed through the apparatus, so as to be ready for use.

37 is an idler-roller at the lower and for- Wardend of the casing, over which the film passes as it comes from the feeding-roller 11.

In the present improvement the casing 1 is adjustably secured to a vertical column 38 by means of a set-screw 39, passing through a hub or collar on the bottom of the casing, as shown, and said column is in turn secured in a vertically-adjustable manner in the hub or collar portion of the base 40 by means of a set-screw 4l, such construction being intended to permit of the ready and convenient vertical adjustment of the apparatus to lit different sizes of magic-lanterns and the like in the use of the present apparatus in connection therewith.

The journal-shaft 42 of the film-feeding roller 11 is of a tubular nature and turns on a fixed shaft 43, that at each end is xedly connected to eccentric bushings 44, arranged in the side Walls of the casing 1, so that by the rotary adjustment of said bushings the required it between the intermittent driving-gearing of the film-feeding roller 11 is readily and quickly eected.

45 are set-screws for holding the eccentric bushings 44 to their required adjustment.

The present invention is more especially adapted to display pictures already formed on a film. It is evident, however, that with very slight changes and additions the present apparatus could be employed for taking a series of pictures photographically.

Having thus fully described our said inven- IOO IIO

tion, what We claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl 1. In a kinetoscopic apparatus, the combination With the light-controlling and filmfeeding mechanism thereof, of a main casing, a film-confining plate provided With a lightopening, and hinged to the casing by a vertical hinge, the pintle of such hinge being fixed to the hlm-confining plate, and formed With a screw-threaded upper end, and a handnut engaging such threaded pintle end to effect a vertical adjustment of the lm-coniining plate, substantially as set forth.

2. In kinetoscopic apparatus, the combination with the light-controlling and film-feeding mechanism therefor, .of a main casing, a

film-confining plate provided with a lightopening, and hinged to the casing by a veropening and hinged to the casing by a ver tical hinge, vertical guide-tracks upon the hlm-confining' plate at each side of the lightopening in the same, spring-fingers secured to the casing and adapted to hold the margin of the film in contact with such tracks, and spring-fingers on the lower end of the filmconfining plate adapted to hold the film in engagement with thefeeding-roller of the intermittent film-feeding mechanism, substantially as set forth.

4. In a kinetoscopic apparatus, the combination with the main casing, of a revolving shutter, a film-feeding roller, a counter-shaft geared with the shutter to impart continuous motion thereto, and with the film-feedL ing roller to impart an intermittent rotary motion thereto, such connection with the ilmfeeding roller comprising a gear-Wheel on the shaft of the roller formed with alternate radial recesses and concave marginal recesses, and an operating .gear-Wheel on the countershaft formed With oppositely-arranged studs and intermediate concentrically-arranged rim-sections, a stationaryv shaft forming a bearing for the nlm-feeding roller, eccentric bushings supporting said shaft at its respective ends, and means for securing said bushings at their required adjustment, substan- 

